Alternatively, Pulleyblank (1973) suggests that it is cognate with 暇 (OC *ɡraːs, “to be at leisure”).

Schuessler (2007) considers this unrelated to 間 (OC *kreːn, *kreːns), and instead proposes that this is borrowed from Tai languages, akin to Thaiคร้าน(kráan, “lazy; indolent”). 懶 (OC *raːnʔ, “lazy”) may be a colloquial reflex of the same word (ibid.).